Eastside shot blocker Nolan Baker signs with Bluffton University

Nolan Baker built his recruiting case the hard way, with rim protection that showed up on every possession. The Eastside senior blocked 94 shots this season, averaged 4.1 per game and finished second in Indiana in both total blocks and blocks per game, a production line that made him one of the state’s most recognizable interior defenders.

That kind of number matters because it changes the way opponents play. Baker, listed by Prep Hoops as a 6-foot-5 center in the 2026 class and by MaxPreps at 6-5, 190 pounds, gave Eastside a paint presence that forced drives to bend and shots to rise higher than planned. Even in a 9-14 season, Eastside’s identity was shaped by that activity around the basket, with Baker serving as the anchor every time the defense collapsed toward the lane.

His final high school stretch ended March 3, when Eastside dropped a 51-48 sectional game to Churubusco. The 3-7 conference mark and the overall record did not dull the impact of Baker’s season, which stood out on the MaxPreps Indiana boys basketball stat leaders page alongside the state’s best shot blockers. For a team looking to make winning possessions matter, he was the kind of player who could erase mistakes before they became points.

Bluffton University is betting that skill translates cleanly. Baker signed with the Beavers’ men’s basketball program on Wednesday, May 21, giving coach Seth Clark another body who can protect the rim and play without needing the offense built around him. Clark has led Bluffton since April 2023 after coaching at Manchester and previously at Wabash and Otterbein, and the Beavers’ need for interior depth was obvious after a 9-17 season and a 7-11 finish in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Baker is not arriving in Bluffton, Ohio, as a scorer who needs touches to stay involved. He is arriving as a shot changer, a rebound-side deterrent and a 6-5 defensive piece whose value starts with space control. In Indiana basketball, that profile still earns real college attention.